It's An Angelic Life
by MikeJaffa
Summary: Jo takes the place of Jimmy Stewart in the homage to "It's A Wonderful Life."
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: It's An Angelic Life

AUTHOR: MikeJaffa

SYNOPSIS: Jo takes the place of Jimmy Stewart in the homage to "It's a Wonderful Life"

DISCLAIME: Burst Angel is owned by Gonzo. I am not making any money off this fic.

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_**DECEMBER 18**_

Kyo jumped and almost dropped the stuffed squid he'd taken out of the oven when he turned around and found Jo standing behind him. "Jo! Jeez…what are you doing here?"

"Did a pro bono job for a bondsman down the street," Jo said, her voice lower and more sullen than normal. "Need a ride back to the trailer. Remember, I called you-"

"Oh, right. Well, could you wait outside?"

"Sure." Jo turned and shambled out of the kitchen/classroom in the Love and Happy Culinary Design school.

Kyo squeezed his eyes shut. "Crap." He put down the squid, picked up his phone, and tabbed through the text messages. "Double crap."

Shiho Kazami, the girl who ran the 3-student team that included Kyohei and another boy, Hayao Ichimonji, sidled over to Kyo. "What's the problem?" she asked. "Are you in trouble with your employer?"

"No," Kyo said. "It's just that Jo is in a bit of a funk-"

Shiho got alarmed. "You think she might try to kill you?"

Kyo shook his head. "Worse. My guess is she had an argument with Meg and all of Jo's self doubt has come out. And I'm going to be giving her a ride on my scooter while she's…working it out." He showed Shiho his cell phone. "Amy sent me the map to where the trailer is now. Figure in the drive time plus shopping, I have to endure an hour and a half of moody existentialism. Fun, fun, fun."

Hayao peaked over Kyo's shoulder at the phone. "Closer to two hours. They have those lane closures on the arterial."

"Great."

/

/

"I don't even know how old I am," Jo said in Kyo's ear as he drove the scooter from the grocery store towards the trailer. "We just assume I'm the same age as Meg, but I could be 12 or I could be a hundred."

Kyo just nodded. He'd got off the highway to get around the worst of the traffic jam.

"She's such a girl sometimes," Jo went on. "And I don't know what to do about that sometimes. Give me something to kill, no problem. Personal relationships, problem. But you already know that, right? I didn't remember your name until you helped me rescue Meg. And I only care about Meg because she saved my life. Am I a user, Kyo? Do I only bother with people who do something for me? How can I be good to Meg if that's true?"

Kyo grunted as he made a right turn.

"And you couldn't care less," Jo went on, hugging Kyo a little tighter and resting her head on his shoulder. "All you hear is the nattering of one of the three bitches who's messed up your life. You're a good guy, a decent guy, and the best thing I can do for you is not shoot you for one more day. That's not right. You'd be better off with-" She broke off as she saw something in one of Kyo's rear view mirrors. She pulled a small mirror out of a coat pocket and spared a glance behind her at the white sedan that had appeared a little too often for her comfort. Jo turned serious. "Kyo, turn left up here."

"But Jo-"

"Just do like I tell ya. And keep your speed normal after the turn."

She felt fear run through Kyo's body, but she had no time to remonstrate with herself over that. Kyo made the turn and Jo kept her eye on the mirror. The sedan turned after them.

"Right up here," Jo said.

Kyo turned. The sedan followed again.

"Damn," Jo hissed. "We've got a tail."

"What do we do now?"

"Next turn, stop, we switch, and then you hang on."

Kyo nodded. At the next turn, he brought the bike to a screeching halt. Jo got off, Kyo pushed himself back on the seat, and Jo got on in front of him.

"Hang on!" Jo said.

Jo took off. The sedan turned the corner and accelerated. Jo stepped on the gas and the bike wobbled.

"I said hang on!" Jo said.

"I am!" Kyo answered.

"Tighter! Pretend I'm Sei."

Kyo clamped tighter….and Jo felt something else happen.

"Whoa! Ok, Kyo, there are things you can't deny around me anymore."

"What? Oh-uh…."

"Never mind!"

The sedan followed them through neighborhoods and narrow streets. Jo turned down and alley… but as she got towards the far end, another car blocked it. Jo screeched tires and made smoke as she put the bike through a hard 180 and went back the way she'd come. The first sedan had pulled into the alley and stopped, blocking the other end.

Jo stopped and looked around. She saw the door a few meters ahead of them in the wall to their left, between them and the first sedan.

"Get off," Jo ordered. "Get against the wall. When I make my move, head for that door."

Kyo got off and backed up against the wall. "What are you-Jo, you're not going to-"

"The next one comes out of my pay."

Jo leaned forward enough to pull the rear wheel off the ground and gunned the engine. She brought the wheel down and the bike surged forward. She back flipped off it, firing at the gas tank as she flipped over in the air. The bike burst into flame as it headed for the sedan. Jo saw four guys get out as she landed. The bike hit the car and both went up in flames. She turned towards Kyo but felt a bullet hit her left shoulder - someone had fired blind through the smoke. Jo fired a couple of rounds back towards them then fired at the door lock as she and Kyo got to it. They pushed the door open, went in, and shut the door. They found a small table and used it to block the door.

Then they realized they were in a kitchen.

Kyo threw his head back. "Great! How do I always end up in a kitchen?"

"Play to your strengths." The kitchen was empty, and the building was silent. "Stay low and don't move."

Jo peeked out into the dining room. She could see straight to the glass front door, and the men in suits outside.

She came back into the kitchen. "They've covered the entrances." She looked at the com unit in her glove. "And jammed our coms."

Kyo saw the blood on her left shoulder. "You've been hit."

"It's not bad-"

"Let me see."

Jo took her coat off and sat down with her back to the wall. Kyo inspected the wound. "Yeah, looks like it grazed the skin. I should be able to…where .. .there it is…" Kyo crept to a nearby counter and grabbed a first aid kit.

Jo was impressed and surprised as he disinfected the wound and put a bandage on it. "Where did you learn to do this?" she asked.

"After that business with the crow," Kyo said, "I retook Love and Happy's first aid class, and I paid attention to the section on gunshot wounds this time."

"Wait a minute-a cooking school teaches how to treat gunshot wounds?"

"Yeah. Guess I'm not the only chef in Tokyo who has to worry about that. There." Done dressing the wound, he sat down next to her. "Ok. What now?"

"You mean you don't have a plan for getting us out of here, 'chef'?"

He smiled. "Tactics are a separate cla-"

Static crackled from Jo's com. "Jo?" a man's voice said. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Jo spoke into it. "I'm guessing you're the guy with a death wish who put this together."

"Yes. My name is Jei Kokuren."

"Oh yeah, Sei's fiancee who tried to kill her. I should have made sure you didn't have a pulse."

"Wait-" Kyo said. "Sei's what?"

Jo cursed under her breath - Kyo hadn't been told how Sei's grandfather had tried to marry her to Jei. It was the last thing a teenage boy with a crush on his boss needed to hear. 'Nice job, Jo,' she told herself. 'Why don't you tell him how Sei and Leo spent last Christmas together…and leave out how they came home separately?'

Jei laughed. "Is that the young Kyohei Tachibana I've heard so much about?"

"Get to the point, Jei," Jo snapped. "What do you want?"

"Simple. In exchange for letting you and Kyohei live, you work for me - you report back to me what she's up to."

"Go to hell."

"No need to be hasty. I'll give you some time to think about that. It's not like you're bleeding, right?"

"I still may need a while. Why don't you and your crew leave and come back? We'll stay put. Honest."

Jei laughed. "Take all the time you need, Jo … assuming you don't have any bullet wounds."

"You're all heart." She clicked off the com unit.

"Crap," Kyo groused. "Another thrilling adventure in being a personal chef."

'Yeah,' Jo thought. 'You didn't sign up to cook for killers…certainly not one who aimed a gun at your junk the day we met. And Meg is scared of me sometimes, too, even if she doesn't always show it. But this is the only time I feel alive. Is killing all I'm good for? And if that's true, who would miss me when I'm gone?' The question stuck in her mind…and seemed to take a weight off her shoulders. 'Yeah…I get mowed down in a shootout, no one would think twice about it. Sei could probably find another shooter who's not as…difficult…and the rest would go on with their lives. Even Meg. They'll be better off.'

"Well, Jo?" Kyohei asked. "What now?"

"Pass me my coat, Kyo."

Kyo handed Jo her coat. Jo rooter around in an inside pocket and pulled out a small metal box with a pistol grip.

"Four-shot neuronic stunner," Jo explained. "Screws up the nervous system for a few seconds. Now, I'm going out the back door. When I draw their fire, you go out the front. Point, shoot, run like hell. I'll…I'll catch up to you later. Then we'll call Sei."

"Are you sure, Jo? You're hurt. You think you can take them-"

"Kyo, don't worry-"

Jo heard a gasp as someone came through the door from the dining room. She turned and for a second thought Meg was standing in front of her. But the young woman with long red hair was a few years older than Meg, 21 or 22. She wore a red coat with fur lining, a black miniskirt and boots.

Jo drew one of her pistols as she got to her feet. "Who are you?"

The girl raised her hands. "Don't hurt me, please!"

Jo grabbed the girl's collar and pulled over to where Kyo was as he stood up. "I asked you a question."

"W-well, my name is Kate," she said, "and…I'm here for you, Jo."

"What!?" Jo's tattoo blazed purple. "Did Jei send you? Or plant you in here?"

Kate was visibly calmer. "No, Jo. And you might as well put your gun down because shooting me won't do you any good. See, I'm not human…not anymore. I'm an angel. And I've taken human form to keep you from killing yourself."

Jo and Kyo exchanged glances. The Jo said, "I'm sorry…Kate?…But if you didn't notice, my associate and I here were just discussing how to get out of here *alive.*"

"No, Jo, you were planning to run into a hail of bullets and get yourself killed. What's called 'death by cop' when the cops are involved. Kyo saw through it, or at least saw the flaw in your plan. Didn't you, Kyo-"

"So you heard that?" Jo interjected.

"Yes," Kate said. "I was here the whole time. You just couldn't see me."

"So you can turn invisible?"

"More or less."

"Got any other tricks? You know, wings, halo, harp."

"If you like."

Kate spread her arms…and wings sprouted from her shoulders as her clothes became blazing white robes, a halo appeared over her head, and a flaming sword appeared in her left hand and a harp in her right hand, deafening music playing.

Jo let go of Kate and covered her eyes. "I get it!"

Kate returned to 'normal.'

"Neat-" Jo broke off when she realized Kyo had fallen to his knees. She grabbed his arm. "On your feet, Kyo," she said as she hauled him up. "There wasn't anything in that sound and light show that Amy couldn't have done in her sleep."

Kate threw her head back and turned in a circle. "Ugh! Why do some people have to be so difficult?" She turned to Jo. "Look, Jo, the point is, you have a death wish. Sooner or later, you'll act on it, and when you do, you'll hurt everyone around you. I'm here to help you see that and put a stop to that once and for all…or at least for a while."

"In the first place, Kate, I don't believe you are who you say you are."

"That much is obvious."

"In the second place, why is it any business of yours?"

"It is. Suicide is, to an extent, a selfish act, because people don't think they're hurting anyone. They're wrong."

"Well every rule has its exceptions," Jo said. "Most people I meet end up dead, and I make them that way. And as for others…well, hell, look at Kyo! He had to learn how to deal with gunshot wounds because of me. I bet he'd be better off if we'd never met. Hell, everyone would be better off if I'd never been born."

Kate smiled. "Think so?"

Kyo said, "You going to do an 'It's a Wonderful Life' thing now?"

"Looks like it," Kate answered.

Jo frowned. "A what thing?"

Kyo and Kate talked at once. Then they broke off and Kyo gestured to Kate. Kate nodded and explained: "'It's a Wonderful Life' is an American movie made about a hundred years ago, but it's still a Christmas staple. I'm surprised you haven't seen it."

"No zombies," Kyo said sardonically.

"Ah," Kate said. "Well, anyway, it's about this guy named George Bailey, who's this ordinary guy in a small town who runs his family's savings and loan. The main drama in his life is his rivalry with this old banker, Potter. Well, one Christmas Eve, George gets in serious financial trouble and decides to kill himself. An angel comes to try and stop him and, surprise, surprise, George is difficult. But he says he wished he'd never been born. So Clarence - the angel in the movie - shows George what his town would have been like if he'd never been born, and it's changed for the worse. He really touched a lot of lives. So he decides he wants his life back. And his friends help him out of his jam."

Jo chuckled. "So, if I was never born, you think everyone would be worse off?" She turned to Kyohei. "What about you, Kyo? You think you'd be worse off if we'd never met?"

"Well, uh…I don't know."

"Good answer. But this is all a load of bollocks." Jo rounded on Kate. "The light show was good, I admit, but could you really show me an alternate world?"

"Yes, Jo, I can. But this has to be official. Do you really wish you had never been born?"

"Yes, Kate, I really, seriously, officially, and in all other ways-ally, wish I'd never been born."

Kate smiled. "All right then."

Kyohei disappeared.

"You've never been born," Kate said.


	2. Chapter 2

Jo looked around. "Kyo! Where are you? Say something, buddy!"

"He's not here," Kate said. "He never was."

"You-" Jo went to aim her gun at Kate, and saw it was gone - it had vanished from her hand. Her holsters were also gone.

"You don't have any guns," Kate said. "You weren't shot, either."

Jo looked at her shoulder. There was no bandage and no sign of injury.

Jo looked around and her eyes settled on the door. The small table was no longer blocking it. She cautiously approached the door and opened it.

"You never shot the lock off," Kate went on, staying at Jo's elbow, "so you never blocked the door."

Jo went into the alley. There were no cars at either end, no sign of the smoldering wreckage of Kyo's bike.

"And the cars aren't there because Jei's guys never chased you…Do I have to go on?"

Jo nodded. "I get it."

Kate grinned. "Really?"

"You kidnapped me and put me in some kind of VR capsule. That how you were able to change everything so fast."

Kate sagged. "Oh, for crying out-" She stopped and looked skyward for a moment. "That's a good point. I'll try it." She turned to Jo. "Ok. You're convinced this is all a simulation, right?"

"Yes."

"Then how could I have known in advance you'd say you wished you'd never been born?"

"You manipulated me."

"Really? How?"

"Uh…"

"And why would an enemy create a simulation where you want to kill yourself and an angel is trying to talk you out of it? In other words, if the 'bad guy' wins, you'll want to live."

"Maybe the point is I win and get determined to kill myself and do it."

"Yeah, but it's starting to get complicated, isn't it? Remember Occam's Razor? The simplest explanation is the best? Well, that an angel is trying to help you is looking pretty simple at this point."

"I see. But if I don't have any guns, how come I still have my clothes?"

"You want to walk around Tokyo naked?"

"No."

"There you are."

"Ok…So, what now?"

"You tell me, Jo. What do you want to see first?"

"Well, Kate, my immediate concern is where Kyohei went."

"You want to see him?"

"Yes, I want to see him! Where is he?"

"Right behind you."

Jo looked over her shoulder…

…and found herself facing a headstone with Kyohei's name on it.

She turned back to Kate and saw they were no longer in the alley. They were in a cemetery.

"What the-" Jo stammered.

"Sorry; it was a hike and I wanted to save time."

"You're not bolstering your argument that this isn't a simulation."

"Whatever. You wanted to see Kyohei. There he is."

Jo turned back to the headstone and read the dates. "He died five months ago?" Jo said. "I don't get it, Kate. Why would he be dead if he never met me?"

"If you were never born," Kate corrected.

"Yeah, that," Jo said. "How?"

"Well," Kate said, "you were never born, so you never came to Japan with Meg. You never made a name for yourself as the Angel of Death, and Sei never recruited Amy to confirm your legend. So Sei never had a hit squad of teenage girls, and she never hired Kyo to cook healthy meals for you. As a result, Kyo never met the only person who believed in him."

"Well, yeah, Sei supported him - she loved him…would have loved him…"

"And he loved her," Kate said, "even if they both denied it."

"Yeah, it's the worst kept secret around here. But I still can't believe it was just her. Seriously? No one else?"

Kate shook her head. "His parents thought he was a fool, maybe gay, for wanting to go to France. His friends at the cooking school humored him but didn't think he'd make it. His teacher saw his potential, but despaired that he would ever fulfill his dream, especially when he quit one job after another. Sei was the only employer he stayed with longer than a few weeks; draw your own conclusions. And then things got worse."

"Worse? How?"

Kate pointed. "Recognize that tree?"

"Yeah," Jo said, "that's where the giant crow is…was…"

"Was," Kate said. "It's not here anymore. But it was here several months ago when Kyohei was walking through here with Shiho Kazami and it captured her."

"I remember, but I saved her-"

"No, Jo, you didn't. You didn't exist for Kyo to turn to, and no one believed his story. When Shiho's body turned up a few weeks later, people began to wonder if he'd killed her. He didn't, of course, but he was the perfect fall guy, especially when more dead girls turned up. What's more believable, a giant crow or a teenage serial killer? The police searched his home and questioned him. His parents didn't believe him. What friends he had left turned their backs on him. Love and Happy threw him out. It was too much for him. He hung himself with his bed sheets. His parents used his savings to buy the headstone; it was delivered last week."

Jo crouched by the headstone. "That's…that does make sense, that hangs together. Poor guy-Wait a minute. You said Sei never recruited Amy. What happened to her?"

"Follow me."

Jo followed Kate through some bushes…

….and they were in a darkened hospital room.

Kate put her finger to her lips. "Ssssshhhhhh." Then she pointed. Jo crept to the hospital bed in the shadows. Amy was lying there, staring vacantly at the ceiling, a breathing tube down her throat, machines around her beeping and hissing.

"Amy?" Jo said. "Amy? Can you hear me?"

No response .

"What happened?" Jo asked.

"RAPT happened," Kate said, "when Sei wasn't there to rescue her. Their perverse idea of making the punishment fit the crime was to hit her with all sorts of experimental drugs and see how much brain damage they could do and still leave her functional. They'd hoped to just dumb her down. Instead, they rendered her a vegetable. The Amy you knew is already dead. They just haven't got around to turning her body off yet."

Jo's tattoo glowed. "Where's Sei?" she growled.

"Hmmm?"

"Kyo's dead and Amy's brain dead because Sei didn't hire them-"

"Jo, don't you get it? It's not Sei's fault. You never existed, so-"

"Take me to Sei now, Kate."

"All right. You might as well see how she's changed anyway."

Jo followed Kate out the door, and instead of a hospital, they were in a high end department store, near the jewelry counter. Jei and Sei were five meters away from them and walking towards them, surrounded by four beefy body guards.

Jo picked up the pace as she walked towards the group, Kate trailing behind her. "Sei!" Jo called. "We have to talk. Now."

Two of the guards tried to interpose themselves. Jo kicked the first man in the groin; as he doubled her over, her fingers hit him in the throat. He staggered, gagging. Her hand shot under his coat and grabbed his gun.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other guard move. As soon as she felt the first guard's pistol leave his holster, she leapt in the air and as she came down, sent her elbow crashing into the second guard's temple. He was staggered and Jo grabbed his gun with her free hand. Then she backed up, covering the group with the two purloined firearms.

The other two guards started to move, but Sei raised a hand and they stopped. "You have my attention," she said coolly. "What do you want?"

"Answers," Jo said. "First off…" She nodded to Jei. "…what are you doing with that idiot?"

"You mean my husband?"

"Hus…but he tried to kill you!"

"When?"

"At that party at the yacht, when your grandfather introduced you."

"You're misinformed," Sei said. "That is not how we met, and I would have remembered if he had tried to kill me. And up to this point, I was impressed. Anything else?"

"Yes," Jo said. "Bailan wanted you to track down the glowing brains. How come you didn't?"

"Because that job had zero chance of success," Sei said. "I couldn't find someone who could beat those odds. If you had been around, I might have been able to do something. In spite of your impertinence, I like you. Want a job?"

Jo's stern mask cracked. "Like it would matter at this point," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Sorry to bother you." She put the guns on a nearby counter. "C'mon, Kate."

As the two girls walked away, Jei sidled over to his wife. "You're letting them go?" he asked.

"You think you can stop her?" Sei replied.

"Point taken, Sei. But still-"

"There's more to her than meets the eyes, Jei, and the smartest thing we can do right now is let her play her hand…"

/

/

When they left the store, Jo saw they were on the Ginza. Jo started walking down the sidewalk, not caring where she was going.

Kate kept pace with her, juggling two small objects. "I'm getting rather good at this."

"Let's hear it," Jo said.

"Hear what?" Kate replied.

"How my not existing got Sei married to Jei."

"I'd've thought it was obvious, but anyway: Because Sei couldn't form her team, she became more involved in her grandfather's plans to reunite Bailan and Kokuren. Jei and Sei had a longer courtship, and he was able to bring her over to his way of thinking. They killed Laoban and Jei's father and took over the combined syndicate."

"You're kidding! Sei can be ruthless, but she loves her grandfather."

"But there isn't a lot of daylight between her and Jei, I'm afraid. They're more alike than not. Poor girl."

"What do you mean?"

"Catch."

The two juggling objects went high in the air. Jo caught them. She saw they were pill bottles. "What the…"

"Prescription pain killers," Kate said. She pointed at the bottles in turn: "This one is Sei's, and that one is Jei's. Ironic. They have more money than some countries and in each other have the most physically desirable partner anyone could want, and yet they're lonely and miserable."

"Well…what happened to Leo? He could…help Sei."

"Leo moved to Osaka when he saw the handwriting on the wall about Sei's marriage. He and Takane were killed when a cybot razed the town."

"Oh, crap. Because I wasn't there to stop it."

Kate took the bottles back. "Yes." She put the bottles in a coat pocket. "So you see, Jo, you've really touched a lot of lives in a positive way. At the risk of using a cliché, you've had a won-"

"Meg."

"Hmm?"

"You left Meg out. What happened to her?"

"Nothing good, ok? The point is-"

Jo brought them to a halt. "Kate, you know I need to know. What happened to Meg?"

Kate wrestled with herself for a moment. Then she said, her voice shaking: "You have to understand Meg has had a terrible life. She was 13 months old when her mother was run over by an off duty cop with a 'drinking problem.' Neither her biological father nor her maternal grandparents wanted custody - in fact, he mother's parents sued NOT to have custody. So Meg became a ward of the state and alternated between foster homes and groups homes and trying to live on the street. The last time she ran away, she ended up in that abandoned school bus you found her in."

"I…I had no idea."

"Six weeks after you would have met her, she and her friends tried to rob a convenience store, and it went wrong. Meg shot and killed a woman who was 8 months pregnant. New Yorkers had a rare moment of community outrage; and Meg was tried as an adult, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. She was 13 years old. At this moments she's in solitary confinement because she attacked a woman who…who had been bragging about her kids on the outside."

"I have to see her."

"Jo-"

"Kate…" Jo calmed down. "Can you take me to Meg?"

"Yes."

"Do that. Then you can put things back the way they should be."

"All right. Look behind you."

Jo turned and found herself facing a prison cell door. She looked back and forth along the short corridor; it was dark in a window at the far end.

"New York State is about 12 hours behind Japan," Kate said, "so it's about five AM here."

Jo went up to the cell door. Through its window, she could see a figure sleeping on the bunk.

"Meg." Jo knocked on the door. "Meg!" she hissed. "Wake up."

Meg stirred on the bed. She looked over her shoulder at the cell door and did a double take. She padded over to the door. "What the…who are you?"

"My name is Jo. We…we met in New York a few years ago."

"I'm sure I would have remembered someone like you."

"Well…I remember you. And I'm…I'm going to help you. I'll make this all go away. It'll be like you were never in prison."

Meg's eyebrows arched. "Y'know, I've heard good things from the other inmates about the drug treatment program here. Just say-"

The door to the wing creaked open. A middle-aged black woman in a Department of Corrections uniform came through the door. She looked at Kate and Jo, reaching for them with one hand while reaching for the pepper spray with the other one. "Up against the wall."

Kate's eyes went wide. "You…how come I didn't-" She looked back at Meg's cell, then at the guard. "You're molesting her!"

"What-" the guard stammered. "Who are you?"

Kate rushed to the guard, grabbed her lapels, and slammed her against the concrete wall as the door closed itself. "February 12, 2036, 8:43 AM," Kate snarled. "Do you remember? Or were you too drunk?"

"February…" the guard said. "That was the day I ran down that girl."

"That's right!"

"I was so sorry for that…"

"SORRY!?"

"I got help. I haven't had a drink for two years."

"You just moved on to diddling underage girls!"

"I have a problem. I need help-"

"Help!?" Kate yanked the guard away from the wall as if she was a rag doll. "YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE! And now you're ruining hers. There's no 'helping' that."

Kate's shove sent the guard flying through the air to slam against the concrete wall at the far end of the wing. Kate turned and yanked Meg's cell door off its hinges and dropped it to the floor. "C'mon, Meg."

"What the…" Meg backed up a little. "If it's all the same to you-"

"Meg, do as you're told!" Kate turned and stalked the guard. "I have one more thing to take care of," she said as a flaming broadsword materialized in her right hand.

Slumped on the floor, the guard's eyes went wide. "Wh…who are you?"

"Who am I?" Kate said as she came to stand over the guard. "I am an angel of the Lord. I am an avatar of Divine Judgment." Kate grabbed her sword with both hands and raised it over her head. "AND IN HIS NAME, SINNER, I CONDEMN THEE TO HELL!"

Kate brought her sword down…

…and the tip dug into the floor of the kitchen Jo and Kyo had sought refuge in. Jo looked around. Meg and the guard were gone.

"No!" Kate shouted as she raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Let me finish. Send me back." She started to cry. "I don't care what happens to me. I can't leave her l-l-like th-th-a-a-a-a…" Her sword vanished as she slid down against the wall, sobbing.

Jo crouched in front of the angel. "Kate, you…you're Meg's mother, aren't you?"

Kate nodded.

Jo sat against the wall next to her. "What happened?"

"The same old story," Kate said, sniffling. "Girl from a small town with stars in her eyes heads for the big city. I wanted to be a singer or in a Broadway musical. I worked here and there, worked off and on as a stripper, and met a nice guy…I thought…until I got pregnant and he dumped me like a sack of crap. But out of that mess came a little gift: Meg, my Meg. She was a such a beautiful baby, Jo, and she was always so happy. Every moment I spent with her, she made the crap in my life go away. I was determined to make the best life for us I could. And things started to turn around; I actually got jobs in some commercials.

"Well, it couldn't last. Someone at Children's Services decided I wasn't a fit mother and they took Meg away from me. And I was crossing the street on the way to family court to plead my case when I was run over by that cop. I still remember looking at my body and being surprised at how much that girl looked like me.

"I watched her over the year, pushed the rules as far as I could. You're supposed to leave Earthly attachments behind, but I couldn't, not Meg. And I worried about her at every turn. She's a good person, Jo, but she had no role model, and she doesn't always make the best decision. When I foresaw you could help her, I gave Shirley a nudge - made her determined to save you. And you saved Meg, not just by fighting for her. Meg thinks she has to take care of you, so she makes better decisions than she otherwise would have. That's why you have to live, Jo. That's why…" Kate's body shook with sobs, and she went on: "I'm sorry. I've made a mess of things. I shouldn't have done this, because I did it for myself - no one sent me. I've made a mess of things like I always do…"

"No, you didn't! You didn't come to me out of selfishness, Kate. You came out of love. You did it for the right reason. If that doesn't put God on your side, I don't know what will." Now Jo's voice shook: "But I may not be the right person to help her. I don't know if I have it in me…"

"Haven't you learned anything, Jo?" Kate scooted around to kneel in front of Jo. "Sometimes it's enough to be there and have a good heart - and you do have a good heart, or you wouldn't beat yourself up. For Meg, for Kyohei - for everyone you care about. Just be there. And don't think you won't be missed, because you will."

Jo nodded as she got on her knees in front of Kate. "All right, Kate. I can do that. Send me back and I will do that…for our Meg."

They fell into a hug. "Thank you, Jo," Kate said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Jo's left shoulder started hurting, she felt the weight of the holsters on her waste, and the body she was holding felt…different. Then she heard Kyo's voice in her ear: "Jo? Are you ok?"

Jo pulled back and saw she was holding Kyo in her arms. She smiled. "Kyohei!? You're ba - wait, you know me?"

"Uh…yeah."

Jo couldn't help herself: she laughed and pulled Kyo into the tightest hug she could manage with her left arm hurting. "KYOHEI! I've never been so happy to see your ugly mug, pal." She loosened her grip and looked at her left shoulder. "And look - I've been shot!"

"That's great, Jo. So are we going ahead with the…who are you looking for?"

Jo was looking around. "Where did Kate go?"

"Who?"

"Oh…Never mind…Kyo, ever hear of a movie called 'It's a Wonderful Life'? About a guy who sees what the world would have been like without him?"

"Yeah. Didn't think it was your kind of film. No zombies."

"You'd be surprised." She let go of Kyo and sat against the wall next to him.

"So, are we still going ahead with your plan?"

"Plan?"

Kyo hefted the neruonic stunner. "You out the back, me out the front."

"No." Jo took the stunner back. "That plan sucks. We need a new plan."

"What?"

"I don't know…Let me see your phone."

Kyo handed her his phone. "Still no signal."

"I can see that. But if I were to pray for some divine intervention, for a little miracle, I'd ask for this phone to get its signal back."

Kyo chuckled. "Seriously? Why not pray for a-"

The bars reappeared on the phone's display.

"New signal," Jo said, handing the phone back to him.

"Wow," Kyo said. "You want me to call Sei?"

"Yes-no-wait! Does Shiho have a boyfriend?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Call her and tell her to pick you up at this alley. Tell her it's ok to walk in and not mind the men in suits."

Kyo started to panic. "Why? You'll get her killed!"

"No, I won't."

"Jo-"

"Do you trust me, Kyo?"

"Yes, Jo."

"Then take a deep breath, calm down, and make the call. If I'm right, Shiho can get us out of here without any shots being fired…"


	3. Chapter 3

"We searched her bag and gave her a pat down, Boss," said Ned, Jei's American born lieutenant, standing with Jei by his limo at the end of the alley. "Other than some pepper spray - which has expired, by the way - she's not packing anything. Either she's really good, or Sei's really nuts."

"We shall see," Jei said, taking the purse and the photo ID from Ned. He got in the back of the limo and sat opposite the 16-year old girl. She was hugging herself and visibly nervous. He read the student ID: "Shiho Kazami of the Love and Happy Culinary Design School."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

He passed back her purse and ID. "I'm keeping your pepper spray, but it's expired anyway. You should get a new bottle."

"Thank you. I'll do that."

The tone of her voice said she was beyond nervous - she was terrified and doing her best not to show it. Jei thought about how to proceed. He was no stranger to using intimidation to get what he wanted, but somehow, that did not seem appropriate in this case. Not right now, anyway. Charm might work a little better.

He smiled and said, "I'm sorry if my employees have unnerved you. We're in the middle of situation right now, and we're a little security conscious, as I'm sure you can understand. So, what are you doing here?"

"A friend of mine called and asked me to give him and one of his employers a lift."

"Oh? Who is this friend? If you tell me his name, maybe I can help you find him."

"His name is Kyohei Tachibana. He goes to the same cooking school I do."

"I thought you said he has a job."

"Part time. He cooks for this woman, Sei."

"Yes, I've met Sei. Does Kyohei like her?"

"I think he has a crush on her. Why else would he keep working for her? He's quit every other job he's had."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jei said. He thought back to the party where he'd met Sei (and tried to kill her). Though she had acted impeccably, and was prepared to go through with the marriage her grandfather had brokered with Je's father, Jei had sensed something had been troubling her. 'If she's in love with her cook,' he thought, 'whether she admits it or not, she wouldn't be happy at having to give him up. That explains a lot.' He said, "Is he any good? Sei's picky about how works for her."

"He's the best chef in our school. I should know. I'm his team leader."

"Well, he may be the best, but I'll wager you're the prettiest."

Shiho laughed nervously. "I'm not that good looking. You say you've met Sei? There's a reason Kyo's working for her, and I don't care how much he complains. It's be hard to compete with her."

"Maybe, but don't sell yourself short. I'm sure with the right dress and just the right makeup, you'd turn heads on the Ginza."

"Me. Dressed to the nines on the Ginza. I don't think so, although I'd like to work in one of the high end restaurants, maybe start my own someday."

"Wow - you've set an ambitious goal for yourself. I like people like that."

"Thanks."

Jei held his smile and thought, 'What are you doing, flirting with this girl? If you passed her on the street you wouldn't notice and you know it.' But it was hard not to envision her dressed to kill and on his arm, people whispering around about who had landed the handsome heir to Kokuren. 'Snap out of it,' he told himself. 'You have a job to do. Do it!'

"In any event," Jei said, "you said one of her employers is here? Do you have that name."

Shiho nodded. "Jo."

"Ah."

"Are they in trouble, sir?"

"Ahhh….Well, I have some….issues with Sei. Like I said, I know her. I was…attempting to resolve them when you showed up."

Now Shiho got more nervous. "You're trying to kill them!?"

"Negotiate from a position of strength might be a better way to put it," Jei said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I do have a tendency to look before I leap. Maybe there's a better way of going about this, without drawing civilians into it." He knocked on the door; one of his men opened it. "Go back to your car and wait. Everything will be fine. Your boyfriend will be along shortly."

Shiho paused getting out of the car. "Kyo isn't my boyfriend!"

"Of course; my mistake."

As Shiho walked to her car, Jei motioned to Ned to come over to him. "We're leaving," he told his lieutenant.

"We are?" Ned said. "What did she do?"

"I'll forget you said that, Ned, and you can keep your teeth."

/

/

Jo crawled back into the kitchen from the dining room. "Looks like our friends are leaving."

"They are?" Kyo asked. "Why-" His phone rang. He answered it. "Shiho? Are you all right?….What-what did he do?…Then why is he leaving?" Kyo pulled the phone away from his ear; Jo could hear her yelling. Kyo gingerly brought the phone back to his ear. "I didn't mean anything by it…No, I'd never say that…We'll be right out." Kyo hung up. "Damn. Maybe 'normal girls' are harder to deal with than you guys after all."

"Crap," Jo said.

"What?" Kyo asked.

"I was going to ask you advice about how to handle Meg," Jo said. "But it sounds like you're not the guy to ask after all."

"You could ask Leo."

Jo looked at him.

"Point taken," Kyo said.

/

/

As the limo pulled away, Jei sat in the rear-facing seat and his eyes stayed with Shiho's car until it was out of sight.

In the front-facing seat, Ned said, "C'mon, boss, between us…we're guys here, right? How was she?"

"Nothing of the kind happened, Ned, and I will thank you to never make such an intimation again."

"Whatever." Ned pulled a candy bar out of a pocket, unwrapped it, and started to eat it.

"You know," Jei said, "you and the other guys do eat a lot of junk food."

"We're teenage males," Ned said between mouthfuls. "Eating junk food is part of the package."

"Maybe so, but you are also mercenaries working for me, and I won't have you compromised in the field because you can't feed yourselves properly. We'll have to retain a chef to whip you up something substantial."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that we will have to find a lovely young lady who can make fancy and delicious cuisine…"


	4. Chapter 4

_**DECEMBER 20**_

Kyohei almost dropped the soufflé when he turned around and found Takane standing behind him. Sei had asked her to spend Christmas in Tokyo, keeping an eye on him and Amy while Sei, Jo, and Meg went to America.

But that didn't mean he'd expected her to come to Love and Happy's kitchen/classroom. "Jeez, Takane!"

"Sorry, Kyo," the Osaka cop drawled, her boken's hilt peeking over her shoulder. "Didn't mean to scare you. Just want you to know I'm here."

"Thanks, Takane. I appreciate you helping out. But it'll be a while yet. You can wait in the lobby."

"All right." She started to turn away, but her eyes were locked on the food. She smacked her lips. "That said, if you need a someone to act as a taster-"

"Takane."

"Fine."

After Takane had left, Kyo realized he had Shiho's attention.

She sniffed, "So I guess it's a bare midriff that does it for you? I had no idea. Of course some of mind the cold."

"What!?" Kyo said.

Shiho ignored him and returned to her work.

'Well, at least she's talking to me,' Kyo thought. 'That's an improvement over yesterday.'

/

/

"So where's your boss going?" Hayao Ichimonji asked as he and Kyo left the boy's changing room in their street clothes.

"A small town in America," Kyo said. "Amy said it was Sumter, South Carolina."

"What's there?" Hayao asked.

"I have no idea. It's all been very hush-hush - well, more hush-hush than normal…" Kyo trailed off as they entered the elevator lobby. Shiho was seated on the bench by the picture window. The blonde girl Shiho was addressing couldn't have been more unlike her in dress and deportment. Wearing a low-cut top, miniskirt, and leather gauntlets, Akiko Togakure had been abducted by the giant crow the night before Shiho had; the two girls had become friends while recovering in a Bailan medical facility, even though Akiko might have fit in more with the girls or with Takane (who was leaning against the wall to one side). Akiko had started auditing classes and hung out with Shiho after school.

"…nothing to talk about," Shiho was saying. "And I really don't want to go into it."

"Ha!" Akiko said. "So there was something…" She spotted Kyo out of the corner of her eye, then said: "…or someone! I bet you got mixed up in a secret mission from Kyo's employer, didn't you? But you were captured by cyberoids, and you had to be rescued by a handsome member of the Yakuza. You threw your arms around him and pledged undying love only unto him." She laughed. "As if you'd be so-"

Shiho's phone rang. She answered it. "Hello?…I'm sorry, you have the wrong number…Yes, but I haven't applied for a position as a personal chef…" She listened and her back stiffened as she became alarmed. "Wait, how do you know Kyo?…You want me to look out the window?"

Shiho half turned around, looked out the window and gasped. Kyo strolled up behind her and peered over her head.

Jei Kokuren was standing across the street, leaning on a black sports car that - as far as Kyo could tell - was the exact same make and model Sei had. He had the phone in one hand and was waving with the other. He seemed to be smiling.

Shiho slowly brought the phone back to her ear. "Yes, sir, I'll be right down." She hung up, got up, and shuffled past Kyo to the elevator, ignoring everyone else in the room.

After the elevator had closed on Shiho, Kyo looked up at the smaller blister in the ceiling that housed the security camera. "Takane, when we get to the trailer, don't mention this to Amy. She gets upset if anyone but her can hack the cooking school's security system."

"Uh…ok, Kyo."


	5. Chapter 5

_**SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 24, 8:38 PM US EASTERN TIME**_

"Have I mentioned how much I hate being blindfolded?" Meg complained, sitting in the back of the rental car. Jet lag hadn't helped her mood either. "Has something to do with fear of being kidnapped. And I think I'm getting motion sick."

Sei said, "Take deep breaths."

"And stop getting kidnapped so often," Jo added, a rare touch of mirth in her voice.

"Thanks guys," Meg grumbled. "You're all heart."

Jo said, "Here we are. Pull in right there, Sei."

Meg felt the car come to a halt. She undid her seat belt and heard her door open. Someone lead her by the hand; she heard Jo say, "Watch these steps…there we are. We're here."

Jo pulled the blindfold off. Meg looked around. They were standing on the stoop of a narrow 2-story house in a row of identical two story houses. There were a half a dozen cars parked along the sidewalk. And while some of the other houses were dark, this one had lights on and a Christmas tree in the front window.

Jo rang the doorbell and they waited. A balding 40-ish man answered the door. "Yes?" he asked.

Jo said, "Is Anne Gillespie in?"

"Hold on," he said. He moved away from the door; they heard him call Anne's name…conversation…movement.

The woman who came to the door had gray hair drawn into a pony tail. She wore glasses, a purple blouse and dark pants. "Yes?" she said.

"Sorry to intrude," Jo said. "My name is Jo. My associates and I have arrived from Japan. May we have a moment of your time? It concerns your…inheritance."

The woman seemed skeptical. But she opened the outside door. "Yes, come in."

Meg followed the others into the house in almost a dream like state. She noticed the tree, a group of people standing around…some kind of party.

"You're having a family gathering?" Jo asked.

"Just some friends," Anne said. "I don't have any family. What is this about?"

Things Meg hadn't paid attention to started to register and yet didn't sink in: Sumter, South Carolina…Gillespie, Anne Gillespie… She came to a mantle and found pictures of a red-haired girl at various ages from childhood to young adulthood…in one, at age ten or so, she was dressed as a cowgirl….

Jo said, "You had a daughter named Kate?"

"My only child," Anne said. "She moved to New York City. She was killed in a hit and run accident."

"And before she died, she had a baby, did she not?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember the baby's name?"

"Meg-Megumi. Kate had always loved Japan, and she gave the girl a Japanese name. I never knew what happened to-"

Meg spun back to Jo. "Jo, what is-how could-she isn't-"

Anne's eyes found Meg, and they went wide. "No, it's a trick."

Jo smiled. "It's no trick, Mrs. Gillespie. Meet your granddaughter, Megumi Gillespie. We call her Meg."

Anne stepped forward, dozens of emotions trying to find space on her face. "You look so much like her…" she started as she reached for Meg.

Meg batted Anne's hands away. "Don't give me that!" Meg snarled, tears running down her cheeks. "You have no right. I read the court transcripts. You didn't want me. You went to court to refuse custody of me-"

"That was my husband, God rest his soul. He had disowned Kate when she left, and he wanted nothing to do with her at all. If I had had my way, I would have raised you-"

"But you didn't! And what you did is all that matters. You didn't want me? Well, I didn't need you, and I still don't! I've done all right. I don't n-n-nee-ee-ee…" Meg broke down and started crying harder than Jo had ever seen her cry. Grandmother and granddaughter fell into a hug, crying on each other's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Anne managed, "sorry I wasn't there…"

"It's ok…" Meg squeaked.

Jo thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye, a young woman with long red hair dressed in a fur-lined coat and a miniskirt. But when she turned to look, there was no one there. Jo smiled at the empty space anyway.

"You know," Anne said, "Kate's favorite color was yellow, too."

"Really?" Meg said.

"Mmm-hmmmm. And she ran around in her underwear too…though she grew out of it when she was 18 *months* old."

"She was just humoring you. But I'd like to know more about her….Grandma."

"Then you and your friends get comfortable, Meg, because we have a lot to talk about…"

THE END


End file.
